The Universal Credit (Work Allowance) Amendment Regulations 2015

• Citation: S.I. 2015/1649
• Sections: 2

Section 1 Citation and commencement

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Universal Credit (Work Allowance) Amendment Regulations 2015 and come into force on 11th April 2016.

(2) Where the amendments made by these Regulations apply in respect of an existing award of universal credit, they have effect for the purposes of that award—

(a) on 11th April 2016 if there is an assessment period for that award that begins on that day; or

(b) if sub-paragraph (a) does not apply, on the first day of the next assessment period for the award beginning after that day.

(3) For the purposes of this regulation, “existing award of universal credit” means an award of universal credit that exists on 11th April 2016.

Section 2 Changes to work allowances

(1) Regulation 22 (deduction of income and work allowance) of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 is amended as follows.

(2) For paragraph (1)(b) substitute—

(b) the following amount of the claimant’s earned income (or, in the case of joint claimants, their combined earned income) in respect of the assessment period—

(i) in a case where no work allowance is specified in the table below (that is where a single claimant does not have, or neither of joint claimants has, responsibility for a child or qualifying young person or limited capability for work), 65% of that earned income; or

(ii) in any other case, 65% of the amount by which that earned income exceeds the work allowance specified in the table.

(3) For paragraph (3) substitute—

(3) In the case of an award where the claimant is a member of a couple, but makes a claim as a single person, the amount to be deducted from the maximum amount in accordance with section 8(3) of the Act is the same as the amount that would be deducted in accordance with paragraph (1) if the couple were joint claimants.

(4) For the table substitute—